Realism can help Huddersfield Town recover from Norwich City defeat and other key talking points from Chris Powell's pre-match press conference ahead of Birmingham City visit

What were the main talking points from Chris Powell's pre-match press conference?

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Huddersfield Town manager Chris Powell spoke to the media this afternoon at the club's PPG Canalside training complex ahead of hosting Birmingham City this weekend at the John Smith's Stadium.

The Terriers go into a clash with Gary Rowett's burgeoning Blues outfit off the back of a stinging 5-0 defeat at Norwich City, while Birmingham themselves were on the right side of a five-goal demolition job last week as they batted aside Reading 6-1.

Rowett's men leapfrogged Town as a result of their emphatic win but Powell will be looking for his side to keep up their consistent home form which has kept their noses above the bottom three so far.

But what were the main talking points from what Powell had to say?

Here are our three main headlines as we pick the bones from the press conference.

The importance of realism for this side

Town's home form and away form in direct comparison could not differ any more, with the unpredictability of the Championship highlighted in their last two results.

A 2-1 win over Brentford was as well-received as it was unexpected given the Bees' form heading into the game, while the 5-0 defeat at Norwich was not foreseen but always had the hallmarks of being a tough away encounter.

Powell was keen to draw a line following on from the Carrow Road capitulation and it is clear his focus now is on ensuring it does not happen again, but whatever the result this weekend, there will be no surprises for the manager.

Throughout the seven-match unbeaten run, Powell was keen to stress how quickly things could change for his side and, when facing the media, he was similarly cautious about what a win this weekend could do.

Likewise, the manager knows a loss will not be the be-all and end-all of his side's season and that realistic view of the Championship certainly stands the team in good stead.

Powell is desperate for the transfer window to open

With injuries and suspensions continuing to mount, certain players remaining firmly consigned to the outer fringes of the first-team and the current starting XI struggling to click all of a sudden, the need to bring in reinforcements during January is obvious.

And that much was made clear by the manager during his pre-match presser, where he indicated his side will be busy once the doors swing open on January 1.

"I have been unable to do that but it is something we want to do and will do," he said, when quizzed on whether or not he has a clear idea of who he will be targeting in January.

In that quote alone, it is easy to detect the slight frustration on Powell's part as he has had to bide his time for the upcoming transfer window, which could be a crucial one in shaping the rest of this season.

He has yet to mould the side into his identity and one suspects that will only be the case once he has strengthened in the areas he sees fit.

A clear appreciation for keeping up home form

When asked to explain just why Town have been able to find a winning touch at home but not away, Powell could not provide an answer.

But four successive defeats away from home have only strengthened his desire to keep the run going at home, which has seen Town go seven games without defeat at the John Smith's Stadium - dating back to Powell's first game in charge against Middlesbrough.

Four of Town's next five games are at home, if you factor in the FA Cup clash with Reading, and so there is a chance now to launch some sustained form over the festive period and into 2015.

An away trip to Rotherham United on Boxing Day is not the sternest examination either, with the Millers having won just three times at the New York Stadium this term, a tally only five teams have fared worse in.

There is hope amongst the home faithful that Town can somehow recapture the sort of form they showed in blowing away the likes of Blackpool and Nottingham Forest rather than the soft centre which was brutally exposed by Norwich and Powell accepts that, while it cannot be an ideal long-term scenario over the course of the season, continuing to pick up points at home offers Town a stable enough footing.